Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Today, 24th March 2010, exactly a year before I started my blog. A blog which I never expected to run through for more than few months has completed a year. I thought I should write about it especially on my blog, since this is a kind of a small but significant achievement (on a personal front though).

I thank Tata Nano which really shook me and made me start a blog. Though that post was a result of a rebellious reaction, it made me think that since I have started this blog, lets try and pen down most of my thoughts, concerns, views. Although, I see this as a platform to share my views on several happenings in and around me, most of the posts stem from the issues which have been striking me for a while.

I decisively did not stick to a particular theme or a subject for my blog. In my view, this restricts the mind to reflect in a particular manner. So the conscious effort was or is not to stick to any particular topic throughout the postings. Thus one can find me writing about cities, a topic which is dear to me to a movie which struck me well to people I admire to my hobbies, etc.

What this blog has done to me is that it has created a sense of anticipation and curiosity as to what should I write / post next the moment I publish any post. On one hand, it gives me a relief that I could complete a post and publish it, but at the same time I have this exhilarating feeling of ‘what next’. Though this keeps me on toes to deliver something at regular intervals. This attitude of ‘what next’ is the kind of motivating factor for the upcoming posts.

But I should thank my friends, readers and followers who kept on encouraging me time and again. Some drop in few lines in form of comments or suggestions, some comment or discuss with me when we meet in person. Nonetheless, I have been taking those as learning lessons to write well and improve in the future.

Actually, some friends of mine had suggested that I should write down my ‘stupid jokes’ and make something of it- which I took it ‘rather seriously’ otherwise has resulted in this medium called ‘blog’.

I hope to carry forward this small medium of mine and my personal miniscule space on the web world as much and as long as I can.

Blog post number 34 is all for my friends, readers and followers. Thank you for your support. Please let me know more about my posts. Your comments / suggestions are always welcome.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

He comes across many incidents, stories, events in the plethora of life

During this exposure, He always faces conflict with his heart and mind to react to different situations. A constant skirmish between the heart and the mind is on and the human body is used as a medium to express those.

His soul is his uniqueness.

His soul has many a frequent visitors each day, in the form of emotions.

Various different versions of the emotions knock the door of his heart each day. He has to pick and choose with the vast variety from the ‘emotional platter of the day’. His soul acts and reacts to each of these emotional variant in his ‘own unique’ way. What his souls doesn’t understand though is that it is going to be confronted with a newer set of ‘emotional options’ the next day and the days to follow.

His soul takes the help of the heart or the mind to choose the right decision to act when confronted with this emotions. His body is the mediator to signal these signals.

A constant fight between the heart and mind is on. His heart follows one while the mind contradicts it. His body is perplexed as to which gesture should it signal to the ‘outside’ world. The brain then takes over and acts as the decisive force to gesture the body to act. His soul is a 'silent spectator' to the complexities of the ongoing tussle between the heart and the mind.

Each soul either listens to the heart or the mind. In both the cases, the emotions are the ingredients for the experimentation- they are the raw materials for the ‘cooked gesture’. Decisions take by the heart are usually followed by certain intuitions or prejudices whilst those from the mind are generally followed by a rationalist approach or a pre-condition of the mind.

The greatest battle of all for the human existence is to conquer his/ her mind. And the biggest task ever for humans is to ‘program’ the mind to act in certain manner in the given condition. ‘Programming emotions’ thus become a aspect task which when achieved can lead us humans to an uncomplicated life. A very difficult task, it can strengthen human mind to achieve ‘near to perfection’ status.

Such a mind in my view is the most powerful source of inspiration for generations to follow.

As ‘Everything is programmed’ around us. Lets try to program ourselves

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Last week I was a spectator to an event. An event which can be termed as a ‘turning point’ for the growth of my profession in my city and recognition of the field in which I did my specialization in. I am referring to the field of ‘Urban Design’.

Urban design as a field has always been an ‘under kept’ secret which is slowly and steadily being relived to the people. What is urban design and what exactly urban designers do is a persistent question in the minds of people. What I define or simplify urban design as ‘design a part of the city considering the city as a whole’. There are many versions of the definition or explanations for the term – but in my purview anything that comes in the realm of city design comes in the blanket of urban designers.

Since this field is gaining recognition world wide – it is making attempts to reach Indian shores time and again with many architecture enthusiast taking an active interest in shaping the city. The profession started as an expression to fill up the void which was created by Urban Planning and Architecture. Planners dealt with the policies and strategies for the city while an architect kept his scope only to the building / plot he is assigned to work. These two extremities left a wide loophole in which city needed to be developed. A realization for a profession which can marry both these disciples together was felt, thus the birth of ‘Urban Design’. It is always considered as a grey area – where sometimes an urban design has to hone the cap of a large scale architect while manier times can be a useful pivot to guide the planning policies.

The urban designer thus aspire the key aspects of city – functional and aesthetic quality. Visualizing a city in 3d, adhering / creating newer norms and creating avenues to make them function could be the broader aspects of urban design.

As we always read than more than 50 cities are required to house the additional population by 2050 in India alone, these need to be dealt in a very sensible and rational manner. I see this effort by IUDI, as a key gesture to give a new recognition to us urban designers and to the city at large.

In my opinion, an urban designer himself don many roles in the society to encourage and create a mindset in the people about the way they perceive cities. He needs to be an activist at times to demonstrate the wrong doings in the city, he can be a leading example in which he demonstrates the lifestyle needed in the society, he can generate the sensitivity and sensibility of historic and emotional values the city carries.

Whatever role he sets himself for, it is time for the society to encourage the role of an architect – urban designer amongst all in the city development process so that we are not exposed to questions like ‘who is an urban designer’ (UD)